The Essayes or Counsels, civill and morall, of Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount St. Alban. Newly enlarged. by BACON, Francis - 1632

London: John Haviland,, 1632. From the library of economist Nassau William Senior Third Haviland edition, in contemporary vellum, the copy of the economist Nassau William Senior. In 1625 John Haviland published the first complete, and definitive, edition of Bacon's essays, the last to appear in Bacon's lifetime. Comprising fifty-eight essays, it was greatly expanded from the first edition, published in 1597, which numbered just ten essays within a slim octavo volume. The second Haviland edition appeared in 1629. It is different in two aspects: the contents table is arranged alphabetically rather than by pagination, and the fragment "Of the Colours of Good and Evill" is appended. The 1632 edition is a page-for-page resetting of the 1629 edition. This copy was later owned by Nassau William Senior (1790-1864), whom Karl Marx called the "bel-esprit of English economists, well-known, alike for his economical 'science' and for his beautiful style" (Capital, vol. I, sect. III). After establishing himself as a well-respected member of the Political Economy Club in London, Senior was appointed the first incumbent of the Drummond Professorship of Political Economy at Oxford from 1825 to 1830. It was during this tenure "that he won wide respect as a lucid exponent of what was still an infant discipline" (ODNB). He published numerous pamphlets and articles. Small quarto (187 x 143 mm). Contemporary vellum, title hand written in ink across fore edge of book block, "N: W: Senior" hand lettered twice in ink across front cover, the second now faded. Woodcut title page ornament, head- and tailpieces, initials. Pastedowns and free endpapers renewed, original endpapers preserved, pasted to pastedowns with some securing cloth to front inner hinge, each with Nassau William Senior's name in ink; these may have been the original initial and terminal blanks (A1 and 3C4) which are otherwise missing, as is very often the case. Pencil and ink marginal annotations to contents, some ostensibly in Senior's hand. Later engraved portrait plate of Bacon, printed by James Sangster & Co. of London, cropped and laid in. Vellum soiled and darkened, spine slanted, paper strips strengthening and infilling title leaf along verso of fore edge and bottom inner corner, contents browned and sometimes soiled, tears to leaves Z1, 2P1, and 3A1 not affecting text; closed tear to 2N2 repaired; a good reading copy. ESTC S100364; Gibson 16; STC 1150.